Biden Picks Xavier Becerra to Lead Health and Human Services  —  The selection of Mr. Becerra, the California attorney general, is a surprise.  If confirmed, he will face a daunting challenge in leading the department at a critical moment in the pandemic.  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect …

‘This Must Be Your First’  —  Only one widely understood word captures what Donald Trump is trying to do, even though his acts do not meet its technical definition.  —  Contributing writer at The Atlantic  —  On the evening of September 11, 1980, my mom was approached by a neighbor who held rank in the Turkish military.

Barr Is Said to Be Weighing Whether to Leave Before Trump's Term Ends  —  The attorney general's future came into doubt after he acknowledged that the Justice Department had not found evidence of widespread voter fraud in the president's election loss.  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr …

Bob Dylan Sells His Songwriting Catalog in Blockbuster Deal  —  Universal Music purchased his entire songwriting catalog of more than 600 songs in what may be the biggest acquisition ever of a single act's publishing rights.  —  Bob Dylan's memoir “Chronicles: Volume One” …

Arizona Legislature shuts down after Rudy Giuliani possibly exposed lawmakers to COVID-19  —  The Arizona Legislature will close for a week “out of an abundance of caution” after Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump's personal attorney, possibly exposed several Republican lawmakers to COVID-19.

Paul Sarbanes, longtime U.S. senator from Maryland who championed protection of Chesapeake Bay, dies at 87  —  Paul S. Sarbanes, a low-key son of Greek immigrants who fiercely protected the Chesapeake Bay and other Maryland interests during 30 years in the U.S. Senate, died Sunday night, according to his son.

A Powerful Reporter Got Away With Sexual Misconduct for Decades.  His Paper, and His Union, Looked the Other Way.  —  Michael Fuoco was a bigfoot reporter with a fiery personality and a reputation for harassing young women.  No one seemed to want to rein him in.

Anti-Vaccine Doctor Has Been Invited to Testify Before Senate Committee  —  The selection of Dr. Jane M. Orient as federal health officials are trying to promote a vaccine to end the coronavirus pandemic prompted harsh criticism from Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York.

Get ready to change the channel and stop giving Donald Trump the attention he craves  —  I am a part of this problem.  But my point is we have an opportunity to do better.  To learn from the past.  To ignore Trump and get back to reality.  —  As we near the end of the Trump presidency …

The Places That Had the Biggest Swings Toward and Against Trump  —  Education was a key dividing line, but other things mattered, too.  —  With most of the slow-to-report votes tallied, we finally have a clearer picture of last month's presidential results.

Protesters descend on Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's home after dark  —  A couple of dozen protesters gathered in front of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's home Saturday night shouting through megaphones against the certification of the election and demanding a forensic audit.

Goldman Plots Florida Base for Asset Management in a Blow to New York  — Remote-work experience speeds plan to shift New York-area jobs  — Elliott, Blackstone and Citadel have been expanding in Florida  —  Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is weighing plans for a new Florida hub to house …

‘A lost generation’: Surge of research reveals students sliding backward, most vulnerable worst affected  —  After the U.S. education system fractured into Zoom screens last spring, experts feared millions of children would fall behind.  Hard evidence now shows they were right.

Bob Woodward is writing another Trump book with the Washington Post's Robert Costa  —  Woodward with Robert Costa.  Photo via YouTube.  —  When Bob Woodward called President Trump to warn him that “Rage” would be “a tough book,” Trump replied, as Woodward recounted on “60 Minutes”: “Well, I didn't get you on this book.

Water Futures to Start Trading Amid Growing Fears of Scarcity  — Futures on California water index launched by CME Group  — Contracts seen useful for farmers, cities to hedge water risk  —  Water is joining gold, oil and other commodities traded on Wall Street …

Social Security Administration is preparing to bar 500,000 Americans from getting benefits  —  Over the weekend, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sent the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget a proposal that — if similar to a version leaked earlier this year …

Trump mulls dramatic flight to Florida rally on Biden's Inauguration Day  —  President Trump is considering a made-for-TV grand finale: a White House departure on Marine One and final Air Force One flight to Florida for a political rally opposite Joe Biden's inauguration, sources familiar with the discussions tell Axios.

High Court Turns Away Case on Transgender Student Bathroom Use  — Parents objected to school's accommodation of transgender boy  — Supreme Court leaves intact Oregon school district policy  —  The U.S. Supreme Court refused to question school district policies …

Virginia Military Institute removing Confederate statue  —  LEXINGTON, Va. — The Virginia Military Institute began work Monday to remove a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, an effort initiated this fall after allegations of systemic racism roiled the school.

Judge Removes Tentacle of ‘Kraken’ Election-Toppling Bid in Michigan: ‘The People Have Spoken’  —  Slapping down one of the so-called “Kraken” cases pushed by pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Lin Wood, a federal judge in Michigan cut off one of the arms of their efforts to overturn battleground elections.

Netanyahu's reaction to Biden's victory is appalling  —  Consider the strategy most congressional Republicans have adopted in response to Joe Biden's election victory: Avoid recognizing him as president-elect, while issuing statements designed to placate President Trump.

'It's an unusual setup': Kerry's climate job scrambles Biden's org chart  —  He's been a national figure since his days as a Vietnam vet protesting the war.  He carried his party's banner in 2004.  And as secretary of State, he negotiated a major nuclear deal involving the world's most powerful countries.